Kalahari is a word that stirs the traveler’s imagination and emotions, and for good reason. It is a vast land op huge vistas, climatic extremes and fascinating adaptations to harsh conditions.

Yet, nowhere is it as accessible as in the scintillatingly beautiful Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, where row upon row of red sand dunes fade into infinity, where herds of antelope and predators such as lion, leopard and cheetah follow, the seasons. Wedged between Namibia and Botswana, the park's 960 000 hectares make it the biggest nature conservation area in Southern Africa. Together with the adjoining Gemsbok Park of Botswana it constitutes one of the world's truly unspoilt ecosystems, making it a must for the nature lover or those wanting to escape from crowded city life. Winding through the park are dusty white beds of two ancient rivers, the Auob and the Nossob. This is where most herds of springbok, gemsbok and wildebeest congregate and where ever-present predators lurk. The riverbeds serve as roads in the park, and given the sparse vegetation, it is easy to spot many different game species, however small.

Nowhere else in South Africa is the build-up of a thunderstorm as beautiful and dramatic, as huge clouds race across the desert like armies of darkness.

The rest of the scenery is the quintessential Kalahari - rust-red sand dunes, short and tall bushman grass, camelthorn and shepherd's trees with plains of shining yellow 'devil's thorn' flowers in the rainy season.The park also rates as one of the best, sites for viewing raptors. It boasts the martial eagle, the largest raptor in Africa, the bateleur.

Eagle, considered the acrobat of the skies, and Africa’s smallest raptor, the aptly named Pygmy falcon.

The sociable weaver, creator of gigantic nests weighing up to 300 kilograms, shares accommodation with the latter. Winter days are of clear, cloudless skies and nights of a billion shimmering stars, among them the

unmistakable constellation of Scorpio.

Then, as the sun unlocks the new day, breathtaking sunrises daub the crests of the copper-colored dunes with brushstrokes of riotous colour. In the late afternoon, the sun sets the horizon on fire in an unforgettable extravaganza of light. Accommodation facilities in the park are good. With Twee Rjvieren camp the most luxurious. Other camps include Mata Mata, situated near the Namibian border and Nossob towards the east. Nossob camp, famous for visits by lions, has a wonderful hide, which looks out over a waterhole and can be accessed any time of night. Each camp includes a caravan and camping site and a shop where basic necessities and curios are sold.